The chubby official in front of Little Barty hurriedly patted himself down and exclaimed repeatedly, "My omnioculars... where are my omnioculars?!"
A group of Veela had already glided onto the field. Their skin shimmered with a pearly glow, immaculate and flawless. Their long silver-white hair flowed as if moved by an invisible breeze, like soft smoke.
With graceful toe-steps and outstretched arms, their beautiful dance was like a flowing illusion—like otherworldly spirits mesmerizing and enchanting the people.
Everyone in the box was staring, transfixed. Some were frozen in place, some grinned foolishly, others were loosening their robes, and some even stretched out their arms as if to embrace them.
Even the official who had lost his omnioculars stopped looking. He threw himself to the railing, with the shiny drool trailing from the corner of his mouth.
Except for the frightened Winky, only Little Barty paid no attention to Veela. Holding the omnioculars, he scanned the crowd, then suddenly paused.
In a distant box, Harry Potter was watching Veela's performance with a silly grin, dazed. One leg was on the railing as if he intended to jump over, but a nearby adult wizard had pulled him back.
Little Barty adjusted the lens, noted the box number and position clearly, then scoffed disdainfully and gently placed the omnioculars beside Winky.
The house-elf was so small that she only took up a tiny bit of the seat and didn't even notice the object placed next to her.
The music stopped. Roars erupted from all around—the crowd didn't want the Veela to leave.
But soon, the Irish team's mascot appeared: a giant leprechaun floated in the air, constantly showering down countless gold coins. People scrambled to grab them in a noisy frenzy, quickly forgetting the allure of the Veela.
Of course, the officials in the box wouldn't embarrass themselves by joining the scramble. They wiped their drool, straightened their robes, and exchanged awkward yet polite smiles.
But when the chubby official turned around and saw his omnioculars at the feet of the house-elf, he immediately grew furious and lifted her off the seat.
"Thief! So you were the one who stole my omnioculars!"
—I missed so many spectacular scenes because of it!
Winky was caught off guard and shrieked in panic: "Winky didn't! Winky is a good elf! Winky never steals!"
But before she could finish, her face turned deathly pale—Winky sensed that Little Barty had broken free from her control. Not only that, he had taken his wand back too.
"Still denying it? Look at the omnioculars next to you and say that again!" The fat official threw Winky back onto the seat and snatched back his omnioculars. "Get out of this box! I'll be asking Crouch why he keeps a thieving elf around!"
At that moment, the door to the box opened. Winky knew that Little Barty was using the commotion to escape and screamed, "No—no—Master will kill me—!"
She reached out desperately, trying to restrain Little Barty again, but was instead kicked out!
"That's what you deserve, you little thief!" the fat official said angrily, slamming the door shut.
"Don't be so harsh, Curry—that's Crouch's elf."
Only then did another official in the box advise, "Maybe you just misplaced the omnioculars earlier."
Lying outside the box, Winky's terrified eyes darted around, but she couldn't move—because as she was kicked out, a Petrification Charm had hit her.
The little elf pressed her ear to the ground, and listened as the familiar footsteps grew fainter and fainter. Large teardrops rolled from her bulbous eyes.
…
Grindelwald ran his slender fingers along the rough bark of a tree, and chanted in an ancient and strange language. Only after a long pause did he lower his hand.
Like Dumbledore, he didn't use any special instruments, nor did any dazzling light appear. Everything was quiet and unremarkable, as if no magic had been used at all—yet he had already understood everything.
In front of Grindelwald, Wade did not use his special magic vision ability. As a result, like Delaine and the others, he saw nothing.
"Quite an interesting spell," Grindelwald said, with a smile playing on his lips somewhere between admiration and mockery.
"You were right not to act rashly. These great friends of ours have already been awakened. The only reason they haven't moved… is because they're currently in a 'light slumber.'"
"So… even without receiving a command, if they're attacked, they'll awaken immediately?" Wade asked.
"Exactly."
Grindelwald looked up at the towering oak tree with a deep and unreadable gaze. His silver hair drifted in the air, and no one could tell what he was thinking.
Everyone stood silently, waiting. A moment later, the old man turned and said, "Withdraw from the forest. Set up a protective barrier around the perimeter—then we'll deal with these trees."
Delaine nodded, pressed his communication bean, and relayed the order.
The Alliance members, who had been scattered throughout the forest to locate the giant trees, began Apparating one after another. In the blink of an eye, they reached the forest's edge.
Wade Apparated as well, arriving near the perimeter. Not far away were rows of tents, though hard to see in the darkness. Only the lights from the stadium stood out clearly.
"When did you learn to Apparate?" Antoine came up beside him, casually slinging an arm over Wade's shoulder and giving him a shake. "I was worried about you last time—thought you might get caught up in that battle between the two big guys."
Wade asked, "Do you have enough people to set up the barrier?"
"Encircling the entire forest? Of course not. But as long as we block the direction of the camp, that's enough, right?" Antoine said casually. "That dark wizard's not likely to aim for some wasteland or swamp."
One by one, Wizards continued to Apparate into position, spacing themselves several meters apart. They all drew their wands, looking silent and solemn.
—Like a wall of defense against unknown enemies: fragile, yet unyielding.
Wade couldn't help but think of this, though something about it felt… off.
Perhaps it was because it was hard to associate the term "Protector" with a group like the Alliance.
Even though their style of doing things had changed significantly.
"I worry that for trees of that size, even the protective barrier won't hold for long," Wade said, frowning. "Unless we can, in a few seconds…"
He didn't finish his sentence before a voice came from ahead: "Brown, come to me."
It was Grindelwald.
Wade paused, realizing "Brown" was the alias he used within the Alliance.
Feeling all eyes turn toward him, Wade slowly walked toward Grindelwald.
Antoine called over to another young wizard and said: "Come on, remember the technique I taught you? Make sure to take a cool video of us saving the wizarding world!"
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- 200+ Chapters
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